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 Soils support the production of food, fiber, fuel and provide essential ecological services such as water filtration/purification and the recycling of atmospheric gases. Water resources are increasingly in demand to support human needs, and at risk of contamination and degradation. This specialization focuses on the management and conservation of soil and water, suggesting sustainable practices that will protect these vital resources now and in the future.
Courses in this specialization emphasize the functions and dynamic nature of the soil and water resources. Students gain knowledge of methods for predicting and mitigating the degradation of these resources, based on the most current scientific information and case studies from real-life situations.
YOU MAY TAKE THIS SPECIALIZATION WITH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAJOR: Agro-Environmental Sciences
For questions about the Soil and Water Resources Specialization, please contact the bsc-advisor.agenvsc [at] mcgill.ca (student advisor).
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 24 credits
To view the list of courses:
Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)) - Soil and Water Resources (24 Credits)
Program Requirement: ** This program is currently not offered. **
This specialization will interest students who want to understand how soils and water interact within managed ecosystems such as urban or agricultural landscapes. The conservation and management of agricultural soils, issues affecting watershed management and decision making, and the remediation of contaminated soils will be examined. When taken with the Agro-Environmental Sciences Major and the specialization in Professional Agrology, this specialization conforms with the eligibility requirements for the Ordre des agronomes du Québec.
For information on academic advising, see: http://www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/studentinfo/advising
Required Courses (15 credits)-
AGRI 435
Soil & Water Quality Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: Management of soil and water systems for sustainability. Cause of soil degradation, surface and groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals and toxic pollutants. Human health and safety concerns. Water-table management. Soil and water conservation techniques will be examined with an emphasis on methods of prediction and best management practices.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- This course carries an additional charge of $37.68 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to a field trip. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
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BREE 217
Hydrology and Water Resources
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: Introduction to water resources and hydrologic cycle. Precipitation and hydrologic frequency analysis. Soil water processes, infiltration theory and modeling. Evapotranspiration estimation methods and crop water requirements. Surface runoff estimation as a function of land use modifications. Estimation of peak runoff rates. Unit hydrograph. Design of open channels and vegetated waterways.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- Three lectures, one 2-hour lab per week.
- This course carries an additional course charge for field trips.
- This course carries an additional course charge of $20.01 to cover transportation costs for two field trips, which may include a visit to a national weather station and a trip to gain hands-on experience on monitoring water flow in streams.
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SOIL 326
Soils in a Changing Environ
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Soil processes responsible for soil formation will be studied and the impact of changes to the physical and chemical environment will be discussed.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: A previous course in soil science, geography, geology or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
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SOIL 331
Environmental Soil Physics
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: This course addresses physical properties and processes in soil, state and transport of matter and energy affecting environment and agriculture (State: soil texture, structure, temperature, water; Transport: water flow, chemical transport, heat and gas flow), mass and energy balance in soil, effect of various environmental events on soil physical properties, management of physical properties and processes for various practical agricultural, hydrological and environmental applications including land reclamation.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
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SOIL 535
Soil Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Exploration of the unique soil habitat for organisms with a focus on the variables that affect the abundance, diversity and interactions of soil biota and, in turn, their influence on soil physicochemical properties, biogeochemical cycles and other factors impacting ecosystem sustainability. Topics include survey of soil fauna, soil food webs, microbial ecology, biological carbon and nitrogen cycling, plant-soil interactions, and the effects of human activities and management on soil ecology, including synthesizing concepts and a critical analysis and interpretation of primary scientific literature in soil ecology.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
Complementary Courses (9 credits)* Note: Students may take BREE 529 or ENVB 529, but not both.
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BREE 322
Organic Waste Management
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: An introduction to engineering aspects of handling, storage and treatment of all biological and food industry wastes. Design criteria will be elaborated and related to characteristics of wastes. Physical, chemical and biological treatment systems.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- 2 lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 322.
- A fee of $50.00 is charged to support a field trip to local waste management facilities for guided tour and information-gathering for a course assignment as well as some laboratory supplies for hands-on composting and/or anaerobic digestion lab.
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BREE 327
Bio-Environmental Engineering
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: An introduction to how humans affect the earth's ecosystem and projections for the needs of food, water, air and energy to support the human population. Ecologically-reasonable coping strategies including biofuels, bioprocessing, waste management, and remediation methods.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- Open to U2 students and above.
- This course carries an additional course charge for field trips.
- This course carries an additional course charge of $12.32 to cover transportation costs for field trips which may include a solar installation site and if registrations permit, a bio-ethanol plant. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period
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BREE 510
Watershed Systems Management
3 Credits*
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: A holistic examination of methods in watershed management with a focus on integrated water resources management (IWRM). Topics include: integration, participatory management, water resources assessment, modeling, planning, adaptive management, transboundary management, and transition management.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- (3-2-4)
- Restrictions: U3 students or above.
- Note: Case studies and a project.
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BREE 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits*
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306, GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or ENVB 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Viacheslav Adamchuk, Jeffrey A Cardille, Jaskaran Dhiman
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ENVB 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits*
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306 or GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or BREE 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jeffrey A Cardille, Viacheslav Adamchuk, Jaskaran Dhiman
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NRSC 333
Pollution and Bioremediation
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Natural Resource Sciences: The environmental contaminants which cause pollution; sources, amounts and transport of pollutants in water, air and soil; waste management.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jessica Head, Nastasia J Freyria
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SOIL 300
Geosystems
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Interactions between Earth's various geologic systems and how these interactions lead to mineral and rock formation. Geomorphic processes and how various landforms are created by the interactions at the Earth's surface between the various geologic systems.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 200. Restricted to U2 students and above.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year
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SOIL 510
Environmental Soil Chemistry
3 Credits
Offered in the: - Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Soil Science: Soil chemical principles are presented in a series of problem sets covering basic concepts as well as applications to environmental and agricultural situations.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Prerequisite: A course in Soil Science or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 410.
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CAREER PATHS CAN INCLUDE:
Agrologist, Biological scientist, Ecosystem manager, Extension specialist, Hydrologist, Irrigation and drainage specialist, Research scientist, Soil scientist, Soil remediation and reclamation specialist, Water conservation specialist, Watershed manager.
For more career paths, please visit the Career Planning Service (CaPS) website.
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